“…and at that point, the solar wind will carry those ions straight outward away from the sun. The resulting tail is straight and narrow. However, both types of tails may extend millions of kilometers into space.” Owen lifted his head and scanned the room again, and when his gaze landed on Brooke, she smiled. And when he smiled back, she felt like she had been given a gift.
Maybe her uncle was right. Maybe being here in the lecture hall and observing Owen teaching a class and listening to what he was saying was the smarter way to go. If she had gone to him when she arrived in the classroom earlier, she may have spooked him—crazy as it sounded—and could have possibly ruined her chances to work with him. Maybe if he saw how she was taking this seriously, it would make him feel a little more at ease with her.
She could only hope.
“When that happens, and the comet heads away from the sun, its tail will dissipate, its coma will disappear, and the matter contained in its nucleus will freeze into a rocklike material.”
Now she had no idea what he was talking about. She’d lost track of the point of the lecture and had to curse herself. Vowing to pay better attention, she put her pen to paper and started to write down as much as she could.
Thirty minutes later she had drawn the lecture hall and Owen standing at the podium.
She was in deep trouble if she didn’t get her head in the game. There was no way someone as brilliant and as esteemed as Owen Shaughnessy was going to let her come on as his assistant for an important project when all she was capable of was doodling in a notebook because she couldn’t focus on what was being said and taught.
Quickly turning the page, she once again straightened in her seat and listened as one of the students raised his hand to ask a question.
“Yes, Mr. Kelly,” Owen said, motioning to the student.
“Can you explain the difference between a meteoroid and a meteor?”
Owen looked confused for a moment—as if he was wondering why this question was being asked at this particular point in time—and Brooke found herself leaning a little forward in her seat, anxiously waiting to see if he would comment on the timing of the question or simply answer it.
“A meteoroid is a small fracture of rock that travels around our solar system. Once this meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere, it becomes a meteor. And when it becomes visible to us, this meteor can be seen in the sky as a shooting star. And if it manages to land on the ground, it becomes a meteorite.” He paused. “So you can see how they are one and the same.”
Huh, she thought. Look at that. She’d learned her first real meteor fact. And not wanting to leave anything to chance, she quickly wrote it down in her notebook.
For the next hour her notes were more sporadic, and there were times when she found it completely impossible to keep her mind from wandering. The PowerPoint presentation helped, but overall, it was hard to stay focused. At least for her it was. Maybe this was the sort of thing she could help Owen with—putting together a more dynamic presentation so his students would engage more. She was about to get excited when it hit her—maybe this was the way scientists engaged. Maybe she was the odd one out here because she didn’t understand the subject matter.
She made a quick mental note to talk to her uncle about that.
As the class came to a close, Brooke stayed in her seat and watched as the hall emptied out. Several students stayed behind to talk to Owen about one thing or another—she couldn’t hear from where she was sitting—but it gave her an opportunity to observe him as he interacted with his students.
For the most part, he seemed fine—although a little stiff—and he was oh so serious. Maybe whatever it was they were talking about required a serious response, but she had a feeling a little humor or a smile couldn’t hurt. He had patience. The last student to stop to talk to him had been the one who had asked the meteorite-versus-meteor question and a list of others over the course of the class. She had to wonder why he was even taking the class if there was so much he didn’t seem to understand.
Then she wanted to smack herself for being judgmental. Not everyone learned at the same pace, and as long as he was willing to ask the questions and Owen was willing to answer them, who was she to judge? Feeling like she was being rude for staring at them, she began putting her notebook and pen away and organizing her purse while she waited for them to be done.
“Thanks, Dr. Shaughnessy,” she heard the student say. “I appreciate the help. See you next week.”
Brooke stood up, straightened her skirt, and fidgeted with her hair for a moment before she made her way down the stairs toward Owen. He watched her descend warily. When she reached the bottom, she smiled. “Hi.”
“Oh.…um…hi. Brooke,” he stammered.
She stepped closer to the podium and saw him take a small step back. “So I figured I’d come for an entire class today,” she teased lightly and immediately realized he didn’t quite get the joke. “You know…since I showed up late for the last one.”
“Ah,” he replied with a nod. “It wasn’t necessary. It’s not like I’m taking attendance on you.”
Brooke immediately relaxed. In his own way, she knew, he was making a joke, so she chuckled. “It’s a good thing because showing up late for my first class would not look good on my record.”
And this time, when she laughed, Owen laughed with her.
“I… I haven’t come to a decision about the position yet,” he said, his gaze focused on the floor and not on Brooke.
“Oh, that’s okay,” she said, quickly trying to put him at ease. “I just came to hear today’s lecture. I felt awful about the other day, and…well…I was kind of curious about those dust trails and tails.”
His head snapped up, and he looked at her with a hint of disbelief. “Really?”
Brooke nodded and then smiled as Owen began to relax. “I have to admit, I had no idea what you were talking about half the time, so I was kind of happy that one student asked so many questions. It made me feel a little less…stupid.” She meant it to be just a silly put-down, but the look on Owen’s face told her he didn’t see it quite the same way.
At all.
“Of course you don’t understand what we’re talking about. This is a basic astronomy class. Mr. Kelly may have been the only one to ask the questions, but I can almost guarantee you that everyone in the room benefited from them.” He shook his head and began stuffing his papers into his satchel. He ignored her for a few moments before he stopped and looked at her. “You shouldn’t put yourself down because you don’t understand something like this class. There’s nothing wrong with you, and you most certainly aren’t stupid.” On the last word, he shoved the last of his papers in the bag and then seemed at a loss for something to do with his hands.
And Brooke was at a loss for something to say.
So they stood there in awkward silence for several minutes before Brooke figured she needed to be the one to speak. “I… I appreciate your saying that. I don’t think I’m stupid most of the time. But the level of intelligence in this room was a little intimidating.”
“If you’re going to work with me, then you’ll need to get used to it,” Owen said and then seemed surprised by the statement—as if he hadn’t even thought it through.
Brooke gasped and had to fight the urge to hug him and thank him. Instead, she went for a very calm approach to be sure she didn’t spook him—her uncle’s words, not hers. She cleared her throat and smiled. “I believe I’ll have no problem adjusting. After all, if I’m going to be surrounded by scientists and students all day for several days, I’ll be sure to do a little studying beforehand so I can better understand them.”
Wow. She even impressed herself with how professional she sounded.
“I… I still haven’t decided—for sure—that this is going to be feasible. For either of us,” he quickly added. “I don’t think you fully understand what
you’d be dealing with. They’re all very smart and socially awkward. Like me.”
Her smile was meant to reassure him, but she wasn’t sure he got it. “Dr. Shaughnessy…Owen…do you want my honest opinion?”
Brooke saw him swallow hard before he nodded.
“I don’t think you’re as socially awkward as you think.” When he went to correct her, she held up a hand to stop him. “It’s true. I don’t think you’re comfortable in social settings, but here you are, talking to me, defending me, and you’re doing fine. I’m sorry if I make you nervous. I hope the more time we spend together, the more relaxed you’ll become.”
“Umm…maybe,” he murmured.
Brooke looked over her shoulder at the clock on the wall before turning back toward Owen. “Would you like to grab a cup of coffee with me?” He looked like he was ready to bolt—or at least turn her down—so she quickly added, “We don’t have to talk about the job. I just would like to get to know you.”
He frowned. “Why?”
She laughed. An honest-to-goodness laugh. “Why? Because my uncle does nothing but sing your praises. Because I enjoyed listening to you teach. Because I think what you do is fascinating.” She gave him her most confident look. “Are those good enough reasons?”
And she knew she had him. There was no way he could possibly doubt her reasons for wanting to spend time with him.
Owen looked at the clock and seemed to be weighing his options. “I need to go back to my office and take care of some notes and return a call first. Maybe I can meet you in an hour at the cafeteria?”
It wasn’t hard to see what he was doing—he wanted to stay in a neutral zone and was giving himself a clear out if he needed it. His work. Well, she’d just see about that.
“How about this—you take care of what you need to, and I’ll grab drinks and bring them to your office. This way we can sit someplace a little quieter and less chaotic. What do you say?”
Clearly she’d thrown him for a loop because his mouth seemed to move but no words came out. “Um—”
“I’m not a huge fan of the coffee in any cafeteria,” she said pleasantly. “There’s a Starbucks up the block, so I can go there and grab us a couple of cups of coffee and maybe a slice or two of cake or some cookies. Although they do have some fabulous brownies. Do you have a preference? I’m a bit of a chocoholic, but I know it’s not the case for everyone. The marble pound cake is a good choice too—it gives me the chocolate I crave while balancing it out with the yellow cake. Of course, there are scones if that’s more your thing.”
“You talk a lot,” he stated very matter-of-factly.
And that had her laughing again. She liked his bluntness. “I know. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn’t. I tend to chatter more when I’m nervous. Most of the time I don’t even realize I’m doing it. The words just keep coming, and I’ll end up flowing from one topic to another with no end in sight.”
“You mean like now?”
Brooke immediately stopped talking and considered him. “Oh. I guess I was kind of yammering on there.”
“Why are you nervous?”
Was he kidding? She shrugged and twisted the shoulder strap of her purse. “You make me that way.”
Owen’s eyes went wide. “Me?” he asked incredulously. “I make you nervous?”
She nodded. “You’re a little intimidating.”
“Me?” his voice came out almost as a squeak.
Brooke nodded again. “You are a highly respected man, Owen. I’m sure you’re used to sitting around and talking with people who are more on your level. I’m afraid of saying something ridiculous and putting my foot in my mouth.”
“Brooke, I… I don’t even know how to respond to that. I’m intimidated by you.”
She already knew that by how her uncle had prepared her, but she was curious about how he saw himself. “Why?”
“I may be respected here on campus or in my field of study, but…that’s it. Outside of the lab and away from the telescope, I’m fairly invisible.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
He gave a mirthless laugh. “Trust me. As you learned the other day, my brother is one of the most popular rock stars in the world. Do you think anyone sees me when he’s around?”
In that instant, she wanted to reach out and hug him.
“I have five siblings including Riley—four brothers and one sister,” he said, not meeting her gaze. “They all have impressive jobs and wonderful lives. All of my brothers are married and have kids. Well, Riley and Savannah just found out they’re pregnant, so…” He stopped abruptly, and this time he looked directly at her. “Forget you heard that,” he said quickly. “No one is supposed to know! Dang it.”
And that was totally adorable—he didn’t even curse.
Unable to help herself, Brooke reached out and placed a hand on his arm. They both seemed a little shocked by the contact. He was…muscular. Much more so than she would have imagined. Forcing herself to not focus on that, she gave him a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to worry. Their secret is safe with me.”
Owen nodded and gave her a small smile. “Thank you.”
She felt like they were having a moment.
And she didn’t really want it to end.
Patience…
“Okay,” she finally said, taking a step back. “Tell me what I can get you from Starbucks, and I’ll meet you in your office in an hour.”
Chapter 3
It was quite possible that Owen would pass out before he made it back to his office.
Doing his best to recite the names of all the planets and constellations as he walked, he almost sagged with relief when his doorway came into view. He quickly made his way inside, pulled his phone out of his satchel, and immediately called Riley’s number.
It went to voice mail.
Cursing, he put the phone down without leaving a message and tried to figure out what he was supposed to do. He didn’t have any notes to make or papers to grade or any scheduled calls. No. He had said that to Brooke to buy himself a little bit of time. Most things that came out of Owen’s mouth were carefully considered, and in one conversation with her he had managed to blurt out that he was more than likely going to hire her and then lied about his plans.
Who the heck was he?
He sat down in his chair and tried to consider his options. By his own calculations, Brooke would be knocking on his door in around fifty-three minutes. He could probably come up with a reasonable excuse why he had to leave before she returned and just text her his apology.
But he didn’t have her number, and he didn’t like the idea of lying.
Again.
And just because Riley wasn’t available didn’t mean he couldn’t call one of his other brothers. Owen knew if he picked up the phone and called any one of them, they’d help him out. Okay, there was his solution.
He called Aidan first. But he was in the middle of an inspection on one of the new homes he was building, and after a quick apology and a promise to call later, he was gone.
No big deal—he was going to remain hopeful.
Next he called Hugh. Unfortunately—according to his wife Aubrey who had answered his phone—his brother was getting ready to cut the ribbon on the new property they were breaking ground on. And with another quick apology and a promise to call, she was gone.
Great.
That left Quinn. And as much as he knew Quinn would make the time to talk—if he could—Owen felt the most intimidated by him. Quinn was always the most confident and cocky brother, and somehow that wasn’t what Owen needed at the moment. He needed a little…sympathy. That wasn’t Quinn’s strong suit.
But desperate times called for desperate measures, so he dialed.
“What’s up, bro?” Quinn asked as his way of greeting.
“Oh…
um…I was wondering if you had a few minutes to talk. I need advice.”
Silence.
“Um…Quinn?”
“Yeah, yeah…give me a minute. I’m trying to process that. You—the brainiac of the family—want advice from me—the guy who almost flunked out of school. Wow.”
Owen couldn’t help but huff with irritation. Why couldn’t anyone look at him like he was just a man? Why did everything come back to IQ and intelligence? It was beyond frustrating!
“Okay, I’m ready,” Quinn said, interrupting Owen’s thoughts. “Lay it on me.”
Taking a steadying breath, Owen quickly went over the situation with Brooke and how she was coming to his office for coffee. “So what do I do?”
“You mean other than drink the coffee and talk to her?”
“Quinn,” he said, “there’s more to it—at least there is for me—and you know it! She’s different. She’s not a colleague, and she’s not shy like me, and I have a feeling that by having her come here to the office where there are no distractions, it’s going to be like there’s a spotlight on me or something and all of my…awkwardness is going to be on full display.”
“And what if it is?” Quinn countered. “Dude, we’ve all been saying it for years—there is nothing wrong with you. Hell, there’s nothing wrong with being smart or quiet or shy or…just different! And if anyone makes you feel that way, then it’s their problem, not yours. If this woman says anything to make you feel that way, then she can leave. Don’t hire her. Don’t talk to her, and tell her uncle you don’t appreciate his interference.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Owen interrupted. “Brooke hasn’t said or done anything to make me feel uncomfortable. This is about me. This is how I feel. All the time.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah…oh. So what do I do? How do I stop feeling this way? She’s going to be here in…” He stopped and looked at his watch. “Thirty-seven minutes. How do I act, what do I say to guarantee I’m not going to have a panic attack?”
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